Luke 23:32-38 New Living Translation
Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
Isaiah 53:3 New Living Translation
He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Matthew 18:21-22 New Living Translation
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
Matthew 18:23-35 New Living Translation
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Matthew 6:12,14-15 New Living Translation
Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Accept that God’s forgiveness is real
Isaiah 53:3-6 New Living Translation
He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
Hebrews 2:11 New Living Translation
Jesus is not ashamed to call (us) his brothers and sisters
Can you forgive others?
“Forgiven people forgive people”
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free, only to discover that the prisoner was you” – Lewis B. Smedes
“Forgiveness cannot come from a heart that holds on to bitterness and entitlement ” – Tara-Leigh Cobble
“When a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.” – Alan Paton
Can you forgive yourself?
When we hold on to our hurt, hold on to our pain, hold on to whatever it is that has happened in the past, we’re chained to that moment, those circumstances. We are stuck there.
Those events, that hurt, that pain, will always be a part of our story.
If we don’t forgive, it becomes our story.
When we do forgive, our life becomes a tiny part of God’s story.
Sermon Based Questions
- What was encouraging, difficult or confusing about the talk on Sunday?
- Which do you think caused Jesus the most pain – the physical torture He endured or the rejection and humiliation? What do you think allowed Jesus to forgive the Roman guards, his accusers, and the crowd who demanded His death?
- Describe a time in your life when you were hurt deeply by something someone did to you.
- How has forgiving someone, or not forgiving someone, impacted your life?
- Is it difficult for you to forgive yourself? If so, why? If not, what’s your secret?
- Bonus: If you’re willing, share who you chose to forgive during the message Sunday morning. What was that like?
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